Thursday, March 4, 2010

review: rich again by anna maxted

Despite their wealth, or more likely, because of it, the Kents are a very unhappy clan. The Kent girls have been raised in luxury, but without love so their behavior, particularly Emily’s, is hardly a surprise. Their parents are truly two people who never should’ve had children. As younger daughter Emily enters her teen years, their opulent world starts to collapse because of Jack’s foolish decision to become one of Lloyd’s Names. Further devastation comes when someone who knows family secrets decides to seek revenge.

Diabolical characters fill the pages of Anna Maxted’s Rich Again (originally published pseudonymously in Great Britain). At the beginning, it is nearly impossible to feel sympathy for any of the characters; but Maxted does an incredible job of making at least the Kent daughters somewhat likable as the family’s past is explored. Furthermore, the characters are clearly not meant to be rooted for; instead one feels some of the horrors that befall them are much deserved. Another area where Maxted excels in Rich Again is in the way she drops little hints that leave the reader thinking a horrified, “Oh my god,” as the pieces begin to fall together. 5/5